


Forged in Fire

by PinkPunk010



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Emotional, Family, When things get too much, emotional angst, post COG, upset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 14:45:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16662825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPunk010/pseuds/PinkPunk010
Summary: There is only so much a person can take until they break - and when they do, they find their family anew.Just a short post-CoG between the Scamander brothers, Tina and Jacob.





	Forged in Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Because there was a LOT for the team to deal with after the movie, and damn if it wasn't a slippery slope to an emotional conversation

The first day after Paris, they were still picking themselves up. The second day, the bruises were starting to appear. But the third day, the third day it hit like a graphorn to the chest. 

They were gone.

Theseus cracked first, bellowing and throwing glass at the walls of Newt’s kitchen – not his own, he hadn’t returned to his own home since Paris – his voice hoarse and lashing out. 

Newt did as Newt always did – he closed off, finding solace in the neediest of his creatures in a faint bid to keep the pain of the world at bay. 

Jacob baked. He baked, and baked, and baked.

Tina went to the Ministry of Magic to contact MACUSA one morning, and didn’t come back till late, her eyes red rimmed, her jaw tight and announced that she had been ordered to return to MACUSA unless the Ministry of Magic put in a request for her to stay. That was the final straw on the hippogriffs back, and the tense environment in Newt’s house in London turned explosive. 

It started like this: 

Newt, not wanting Tina alone with her guilt after her sister’s betrayal, insistently turned to Theseus and told his brother to make the request – for them all to stay together. Theseus, a live wire waiting to ignite, full of burning anger and red-hot indignation, lashed out with the intention to hurt. 

“You’re the only one of us that’s got what they wanted out of this whole mess,” Theseus slurred through clenched jaw. “You got your girl after all – you didn’t lose anyone.”

Newt winced, not even trying to find the bone wrenching guilt that had plagued him since he’d been unable to stop Leta from disintegrating before their very eyes, to stop Queenie from crossing the flames. 

“That was uncalled for,” Tina responded sharply, her voice fire and ice, “Newt loved them both too.”

“Yeah,” Jacob agreed hoarsely, “Newt lost his friends. He’s hurtin’ in a different way to us Theseus.”

“We all lost them,” Tina said firmly, swallowing back another wave of tears. “We all lost the people we loved. And we may continue to lose them. Merlin only knows how we go forward with this goddam situation, but we can’t fight amongst ourselves.”

“We’re all each other has,” Newt finished for her quietly. “I loved Leta too, she was my oldest friend in the world. And Queenie – they were my family. And I’m sorry I couldn’t save them. I’m sorry you’re hurting Thee. And you Jacob, Tina…”

“’S not your fault,” Jacob insisted wearily, “’S not anyone’s fault. Queenie chose to cross that fire thing – I couldn’t stop her, Teen couldn’t have stopped her. Queenie made her own choice and we… we’re gonna feel guilty for it.”

“Leta wanted to save you,” Tina said to the table, “She was willing to sacrifice herself if it meant saving you, and Theseus, there ain’t nothin’ you could’ve done to stop her. Nothin’ none of us could’ve done. Both of em made their own choices.”

Theseus’s jaw clenched, a muscle jumped, his eyes shiny. He looked away, blinking furiously. 

“What are we supposed to do now?” He asked, so so quietly, broken and lost. Newt leant forward to unwind his brother’s fist from the table. 

“We keep going,” Newt insisted. 

“Fighting amongst ourselves is what he wants,” Tina said slowly, smiling bitterly, “So we do the opposite. We live, because what else can we do? We keep fighting cuz…”

“We won’t let them win,” Theseus finished for her. 

“We fight for Leta,” Jacob added, voice breaking. “And we gotta fight…”

“Don’t,” Tina said sharply, looking away. Newt reached a hand over and offered it to her. She hesitated, brown eyes swimming in untold emotions, before she seemed to cave and accept his support. 

“This is all very well and good,” Theseus said sarcastically, “But what do we do for now? Jacob and Tina are American, and you refuse point blank to join my department.”

“Yes,” Newt said firmly, “I am not an auror. But Tina is. You let the Ministry know you need her so she doesn’t have to go back to America.”

“I ain’t going back to America without Queenie,” Jacob added, “Too many things there…”

Theseus nodded in understanding. He hadn’t returned home because he knew he’d find Leta’s discarded robes across their bedroom where she’d haughtily told him she’d pick them up when they got back from work. Had it only been three days? 

“You’re both welcome to stay here,” Newt offered hesitantly, “I’m rather nifty with an undetectable extension charm. Long you like. You too Tina, if you think it’s proper of course.”

“I think we’ve gone way past proper,” Tina replied bluntly. “I’ll take a room.”

“Will you guys be able to share stuff with me?” Jacob asked hesitantly, “I wanna be useful, but I know how wizards see No-Maj’s… Maybe I could help Bunty when you’re out?”

“Britain doesn’t have the same backwards rules regarding wizard-muggle relations as the wizarding community in America,” Newt replied, as if this answered everything. Tina rolled her eyes at the vague response, but it was Theseus who answered. 

“You’re safe here,” He confirmed, “Muggles and wizards have overlap here, and even if they though you a risk, you have family to vouch for you, so you’ll be fine.”

“Family?” Jacob asked in confusion.

“You’re one of us now,” Theseus said heavily, tipping the glass forward in salute. Jacob tried too hard not to think of an American voice of honey and laughter saying those very same words to him only a year or so prior. “You’re both Scamanders now. And family is all that matters.”

Jacob felt the tears prickling his eyes again, making no move to brush them away. Tina poured them all a glass of firewhisky and raised her glass, waiting for them all to do the same. Jacob thought of Queenie, and of the battered people around him. Battered but still standing. 

Some bonds are forged in fire, and here, with them, he’d make his stand.


End file.
